Controlling the Temporal Structure of Brain Oscillations by Focused Attention Meditation.

ABSTRACT: Our focus of attention naturally fluctuates between different sources of information even when we desire to focus on a single object. Focused attention (FA) meditation is associated with greater control over this process, yet the neuronal mechanisms underlying this ability are not entirely understood. Here, we hypothesize that the capacity of attention to transiently focus and swiftly change relates to the critical dynamics emerging when neuronal systems balance at a point of instability between order and disorder. In FA meditation, however, the ability to stay focused is trained, which may be associated with a more homogeneous brain state. To test this hypothesis, we applied analytical tools from criticality theory to EEG in meditation practitioners and meditation-naïve participants from

SUBMITTER: Irrmischer M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6585826 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature